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alex2023's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hannahslibrary92's review
4.0
*I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was such a great book. From start to finish, I was hooked.
It was a quick, enjoyable and interesting read, dealing with some very real and compelling issues.
I would definitely recommend this book.
This was such a great book. From start to finish, I was hooked.
It was a quick, enjoyable and interesting read, dealing with some very real and compelling issues.
I would definitely recommend this book.
samireads's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kdailyreads's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I found this book hard to rate. I would recommend reading it to others!
Why I want to give it 4 stars:
- I really appreciate its historical significance as a 90s YA book about a Korean-American teenager, written by a Korean-American author.
- Its exploration of themes like family expectations, immigration, racism, and coming-of-age
- Ellen and her friend Jessie have such a strong, loyal and loving friendship (the poem!)
- Mrs. K the teacher (wish there was more of her)
- Ellen recalling when she found Korean picture books
- Ellen’s talk with her dad at the end
- The scene with Mike at drive in at the end
Why I want to give it 3 or 3.5 stars:
- the portrayal of so much underage drinking with little discussion or portrayal of the consequences or pros and cons. It was just accepted as something everyone did, and they did it a lot. I guess that is accurate in a way (that many teenagers just participate in those types of activities without a ton of debate or reflection), but it bothered me because their behavior seemed so reckless.
- Same with the incident when Ellen and Jessie go to Erie. I didn’t like that the girls basically had little to no discussion of what happened afterwards.
- The ending was also abrupt. I wish the book had been a bit longer and the ending had been more detailed/timeline of the events at the end of the book had been a bit different to allow for more detail.
Why I want to give it 4 stars:
- I really appreciate its historical significance as a 90s YA book about a Korean-American teenager, written by a Korean-American author.
- Its exploration of themes like family expectations, immigration, racism, and coming-of-age
- Ellen and her friend Jessie have such a strong, loyal and loving friendship (the poem!)
- Mrs. K the teacher (wish there was more of her)
- Ellen recalling when she found Korean picture books
- Ellen’s talk with her dad at the end
- The scene with Mike at drive in at the end
Why I want to give it 3 or 3.5 stars:
- the portrayal of so much underage drinking with little discussion or portrayal of the consequences or pros and cons. It was just accepted as something everyone did, and they did it a lot. I guess that is accurate in a way (that many teenagers just participate in those types of activities without a ton of debate or reflection), but it bothered me because their behavior seemed so reckless.
- Same with the incident when Ellen and Jessie go to Erie. I didn’t like that the girls basically had little to no discussion of what happened afterwards.
- The ending was also abrupt. I wish the book had been a bit longer and the ending had been more detailed/timeline of the events at the end of the book had been a bit different to allow for more detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol
aidanweyer's review
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
miekoreadss's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
amberinpieces's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just okay for me. I think I might have felt better about it if the afterword had been the foreword. As I started listening, the language and references made me think it was the 80s or early 90s. I listened on Libby and looked at the title details but it didn’t mention this at all. Neither did the Goodreads subscription. After an internet search I found this was published years ago and then it made sense, but I think it was too late.
jacqiekr's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25